The Indonesian Language Institute for Foreign Speakers (BIPA) Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU) was inaugurated, marked by the embedding of slings for two students from Thailand. Aslam Chehlong and Miss A-Esah Kehra in the Rector’s Meeting Room, Jalan Captain Muktar Basri No 3 Medan, Monday (14/11).
The Rector of UMSU carried out the inauguration of the UMSU BIPA Institute, Prof. Dr. Agussani, M.AP, represented by Vice Rector I, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Arifin, M.Hum, witnessed by the Head of the Affiliate of Indonesian Language Teachers and Activists for Foreign Speakers (APPBIPA) of the North Sumatra Branch, Prof. Dr. Khairil Ansari, M.Pd, Head of the North Sumatra Language Center (BBSU), Language Development and Development Agency, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Hidayat Widiyanto, M.Pd and Yolferi, S.S., M.Hum.
Deputy Rector I, Muhammad Arifin, said that UMSU, as a tertiary institution, supports the presence of the BIPA Institute because it supports efforts to continue internationalization. Its presence can be towards an economic approach where foreign workers in North Sumatra can learn Indonesian at UMSU. Moreover, Indonesia is a market potential that is quite large for other countries, so learning Indonesian has become a necessity.
The chairman of North Sumatra APBIPA, Khairil Ansari, said that as chairman of North Sumatra APBIPA, he was pleased with the inauguration of the UMSU BIPA Institute. “We will play at the international level, not only at home but also abroad. The presence of the official UMSU BIPA Institution will, of course, be reported to the Central APBIPA, and currently, 448 BIPA teaching institutions have been certified and facilitated, and APBIPA has been established in 21 provinces,” he said.
The Head of BBSU, Hidayat Widiyanto, said that the Indonesian language conveyed to foreigners was a way of diplomacy, how to share a good image with others through language. Some approaches include politics and diplomacy, economy and investment, tourism, defense and security, sports, and education and culture.
